Microsoft still pushes Xbox 360 as all-in-one entertainment solution

Yesterday's announcement of the "New Xbox Experience" was just another step toward Microsoft's almost almost four-year-old goal of making the Xbox 360 the home's TV, movie, music and gaming center.

The Xbox 360 was launched in 2005 with Xbox Live capability, but it wasn't until 2006 when the real push for the 360 to be "more than a console" began. After increasing the size of Live games, and scrapping the HD DVD aspect of the home entertainment unit, Xbox Live experienced a growth surge.

"We doubled our membership the past two years, growing from 3 million to 6 million, and then from 6 million to 12 million. And today, we are adding a new member every five seconds," said Jason Schappert, Microsoft's corporate vice president of interactive entertainment, in a statement yesterday.

This growth, coupled with the long list of feature additions yesterday, makes it begin to look like the 360's position as an entertainment unit is finally starting to gel. And the deciding factor in the whole process looks to be the decreased emphasis on disc media. Games can now be played directly from the hard drive, Live Marketplace can now be accessed from the Web anywhere and content can be downloaded to the user's console.

In fact, practically all of yesterday's announcements that weren't regarding franchise games were for downloadables: the ability to create avatars and engage in eight-person "live parties," the addition of streaming Netflix content, and the new Xbox Live Primetime massively multiplayer online casual games.

For almost 20 years, companies have tried to provide the same thing the 360 is now providing. Systems like Phillips' CD-i touted music, movies, games, and "family fun" (such as karaoke and game show programs) all in one box. However, nothing that system offered was easy, cheap, or of high enough quality to make even a dent in the console or home video market.

Perhaps the concept is ready for acceptance now.